Twilight Zone
by impertinentfool
Summary: I want to be a tree that falls in love with the earth, not the sun. Tanjirou, Kagome. (revised)


Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. Written for fun because I ship two loyal and stubborn protagonists together. Have this little oneshot. Now revised!

...

**twilight zone**

_: unusual situation or mental state between reality and fantasy_

_..._

* * *

The first time he sees her, he's five years old.

He's standing in the middle of a small clearing, thick, green trees towering over him. It's eerily silent, with only the faint rustling of grass beneath his feet and the leaves hanging from above. Mildew sprouts on every surface, the lingering scent strong in the air. Oddly enough, there's no sunlight.

A forest. He's somewhere in a thick forest. Tanjirou's only five, but he knows the forest better than the back of his hand.

He can't remember how he got here though.

He has to come home fast – Mother might get worried. And he didn't want that, not when she was already swollen with child – _his sibling_.

More than that, however, he feels a strong sense of unease. Something's not right.

He's not sure what direction to go to, but his gut feeling is strong, so he turns left. And then hears a faint sob from the opposite direction.

He stops in his tracks.

The sobbing grows louder, and then a hiccup.

It sounds like a girl. Could it be – Nezuko?

His feet compulsively head towards the direction of the sound. He passes through a thick cluster of wide, green vines and steps forward until he spots a small figure quivering underneath the shade of a tree.

Tanjirou slowly comes closer as his eyes rove over the figure.

It's a girl, but not his sister.

She's hunched over, head buried underneath her knees. She's shaking, and crying her heart out. With all the empathy that an innocent five-year old child could muster, Tanjirou cautiously crouches down to her level and moves in front of her.

"Hello," he says softly, and the girl's muffled sobs immediately abide. After what feels like an eternity, the girl slowly looks up at him. Tanjirou's only five but he immediately recognizes her pretty features, nevermind the snot dribbling out from her red nose and her puffy eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

The girl stares at him in silence.

"Who're you?"

Tanjirou blinks, and tries to smile as a way to reassure her. "My name is Tanjirou. Why are you crying?"

The girl sniffs. "I'm Kagome. I'm scared. I want to go home."

"Are you lost?"

"I – I think so. I wasn't here before."

"We're the same then." Tanjirou stands up and holds out a tiny hand. Kagome mutedly stares at him for a few seconds, and then takes it.

Her hand was soft, chubby like his and smaller. Like Nezuko's.

His cheeks feel warm.

Kagome slowly stands up and lets go of his hand as she looks down and demurely fidgets with her skirt. Her clothes…looked strange. The dress went up to her knees. It was checkered, shades of white and light red following each other. It didn't seem to be in a form of a yukata. Even the material was strange.

But there were no tattered edges, not like his nor Nezuko's, so she seems well off. A daughter of a nobleman, perhaps? Maybe this was what townsfolk wore now, the latest fashion there. He wouldn't know. The Kamado family lived a modest lifestyle, in the sanctuary of the mountains, away from the bustle of people. Tanjirou could count on one hand the number of times he went to town with his Mother and Father (before he became too sickly to walk at all).

"Kagome," Tanjirou says, an idea popping up in his mind. "Do you want to come with me? You can stay with me and my family for now. Look, it's getting dark. It's scary to wander around in the night."

Kagome nods. "Okay. But if you try to eat me, I'll hit you with this rock."

Tanjirou stares at her incredulously. "I'm not a monster."

"How can I know that for sure? Grampa says youkai take the form of humans to fool children and eat them. Like pretending to be a cute kid. You might be lying to me."

Cute.

_Cute_.

She just called him-that's not important right now!

"If I was a monster, I would have eaten you already. There's no one around to save you…" says Tanjirou, and stops himself before he scares her more. "_Youkai_?"

"Demons," Kagome whispers.

"Really? They exist?"

"I don't know," Kagome sniffs again. "I think it's stupid. Grampa say stupid things all the time. I want to go home. This place stinks really bad."

"Where are your parents? Where did you last see them?"

"I don't know."

Well, that was good to hear.

"Your mother?"

"I don't know. She's in the house."

He'd have to let her guide him to her house when he helps bring her home tomorrow.

"Your father?"

Kagome's quiet for a moment.

"Kagome?"

"Dad's dead. The stupid car killed him."

_Oh. _Tanjirou doesn't know what a car is, but he can hardly ask her about that. He's wise enough not to prod her further.

He doesn't know where the words come from, but he says, "It's okay. He's in a better place now. He's probably watching down at you from the heavens." Kagome doesn't say anything, but her eyes glisten. He wishes he'd comforted her, even for a little bit.

"Tanjirou, I'm scared," Kagome eventually whispers after a long silence.

"We'll find your parents. Just come with me, and my family will help you find them. We're not demons or anything like that. Promise."

The wind rustles.

Kagome walks closer to him and grips his sleeve. "Okay. I trust you."

They slowly walk onward. Tanjirou glances around, trying to find a way out of the forest. Surely there's something familiar he can recognize. He's mostly guessing, but he's not going to tell Kagome that. He chooses the path he was initially heading towards.

"Is your Mom and Dad scary?" Kagome whispers. "They might not like me."

Tanjirou shakes his head. "Mother and Father are kind people. They'll welcome you. Oh, and I have a younger sister." _And another sibling on the way._ "You'll like Nezuko. You can play together while you stay with us."

"I've always wanted a sister," Kagome mumbles. "I have a baby brother, though. He's still small and pudgy-looking, kind of ugly. His name is Souta. He doesn't really do much but poop and cry and sleep."

Tanjirou laughs.

Overhead, the sky looms. It's getting dark.

"You're lucky."

"Hm? What was that?"

"I said _you're lucky_. You're Dad's still alive. Mine's in heaven now. I wish he was still alive."

Tanjirou couldn't ever imagine his Father dying and leaving them alone, no matter how sickly and frail he became each passing day. His Father was always a constant, a looming figure who was always there, a pillar of support. He was strong.

_You'll be the man of the house when I'm gone, Tanjirou, _his Father would sometimes tell him. _When I'm gone, take care of them always. Protect them. Protect Nezuko. Protect Takeo. That is your responsibility as the eldest son. _

_Father will live, _Tanjirou thinks. _He once beheaded a bear with only an axe. __He dances for the Fire God from dusk till sunrise. _

_He is strong. _

"You wear weird clothes," Kagome suddenly exclaims, startling him out of his thoughts.

_I could say the same to you. _"It's not that weird. Besides, we don't have a lot of money to buy new clothes," Tanjirou mutters. Kagome glances at him, brows furrowed and looking a little confused, but doesn't say anything back.

They walk in silence this time. Tanjirou still can't see anything beyond the clutter of trees, but he keeps moving forward.

_We're going to get home soon. No need to worry. _

Kagome's still gripping his sleeve. She hasn't let go of it the entire time. Her tears are gone. She catches his stare. Her eyes are a warm, dark brown. He instantly looks away, heat in his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Tanjirou." Kagome softly mumbles.

"What for?"

"I'm sorry for calling you a demon."

"It's alright. I'm not angry." He smiles at her. Kagome smiles back.

They walk for several more minutes, until finally he sees a faint light emanating from a distance. The gut feeling in his stomach grows stronger. He trudges towards the light. As he comes closer, he doesn't notice there's no tug on his sleeve.

Sure enough, he sees the familiar sight of home, illuminated by lamps hung outside.

"Kagome! It's _here_ –" he turns around to look at her.

She's gone.

A chill runs down his spine.

She disappeared into thin air. Like a ghost.

"_Kagome_? Kagome, where are you?"

His eyes flit around, heart pounding in fear and alarm.

"Kagome!"

She's nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, his vision dims and when it clears, he sees Mother's concerned face looking down at him. Stroking his hair and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Tanjirou, calm down. You're scaring your sister. It was just a dream."

_Just a dream?_

Tanjirou blinks his eyes. Nezuko appears beside Mother, head tilted, looking at him curiously.

"Onii-chan, who's _Kagome_?"

He doesn't answer. Mother shushes a bleary-eyed Nezuko back to sleep beside her brother. Thankfully, Takeo is still asleep.

Tanjirou feels sorry for waking her up. Mother turns to look at him and asks her son the same question.

"A girl in a dream," he stammers. "She seemed so real."

_She seemed so real._

_._

_._

_._

* * *

A decade later, Kagome sees him again.

This time, instead of a thick forest, she finds herself standing within a vast meadow that stretched to the infinite horizon. Sunlight washing over the golden-green. It was a similar sight to when she had first discovered another world after falling from the shrine well.

It was quiet, save for the birds chirping far ahead. She was alone.

Impossible. She hadn't gone down the Bone-Eater's Well this time. Gramps would have her head if she disappeared again unnoticed.

_Not this again– _

And then she sees him.

She's so surprised that she almost trips on the green grass. The boy stares back at her with wide, unbelieving eyes.

It wasn't possible. He's older now, about her age. There's a newfound scar on his forehead, a rough patch of deformed skin that somehow didn't lessen the boyish glow on his face as much as it should have. His face had lost some of that baby fat, creating a youthful appearance and growing into that strange, handsome visage of a young man.

His eyes never changed, though. Still a light shade of burgundy that matched his unruly hair, still bright but were now looking at her like he's – like he's staring at a _ghost_.

Kagome could still remember one of the strangest dreams she's ever had. Of a boy who looked straight out of the feudal era, with kind eyes and soft hands. She assumed he'd been a spirit in her dream; certain that he was brought about by her desire to have someone provide her comfort from the recent death of her father. She had promptly forgotten about him a few years later.

And now he's there, literally _there_, five feet away from her.

It's not – it's not –

_Real? _Her mind laughed.

Just a couple of nights ago, she'd been certain she had been in another crazy dream where she'd met a mannerless dog demon named Inuyasha and a human centipede – also a demon - who had ripped her torso clean because apparently there was something called the Shikon no Tama inside her body. She'd somehow been transported back in time, back in the Sengoku Period, the Warring States Era – _five hundred years ago_ \- all because Souta was acting like a coward and she had to get Buyo back from the well herself.

It all sounded like a bunch of absurd crap, the kind that fantasy/adventure authors salivated over, but it truly happened to her, crazy as it sounds. She was dead sure of it.

Proof of it was the aching throb in her side.

What was even _real_ anymore?

"You…" the boy says, shock written all over his face. "_Kagome_?"

"Takeru." Kagome says, breathless. Crap. She'd forgotten his name! "No, it was…_Tahiro_?"

"Tanjirou. It's Tanjirou, Tanjirou Kamado," the boy says, a mixture of wonder and exasperation evident in his face, disbelief still in his voice. "Kagome…you're here. Why are you here?"

"I could say the same thing. You're _not_ real," Kagome mutters, and then flushes, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Why was she even _apologizing_ to someone not real?

Tanjirou frowns. "What do you mean I'm not real?"

Kagome breathes in deeply, trying to steady herself. And then she points at him.

"I'll keep it simple. You're a figment of my imagination. You're like, a part of my subconscious that I've buried deep in my mind. It's just like that one movie…what was it called again…_Matrix_!"

Tanjirou gapes at her as though she'd been hit in the head one too many times.

"Mat…rix? What's that? Anyway, it's rude to point your finger at someone, Kagome-san."

Kagome blinks and reluctantly complies, taking a step forward. They stare at each other in silence, at a loss for words. Her eyes skim over him, glances over his strange, old-fashioned clothes and rigid posture. Sees him wearing unusually-styled earrings. Sees dirt and faint scars clinging to his face. _What happened? _Gone was the bare-faced boy she met all those years ago.

"I can't believe it. I must be dreaming."

Tanjirou opens his mouth, and then closes it, hesitant to say something. And then he opens it again.

"Kagome-san…you're not a spirit, are you?"

"_What_? No! What gave you that idea? I'm as human as it gets, mister!" Kagome shakes her head. "Nevermind that. This is really weird."

"I'm not just a figment of your imagination. I'm real, too." Tanjirou smiles, bemused.

_Seriously?_

"That's…that sounds…really incredible. Crazy, even." Kagome wants to kneel down on the grass. She feels lightheaded. "For half my life, I've always thought of you as that cute boy that I made up in my head because I wanted a friend." She pretends not to notice the way Tanjirou's ears turn red.

"I thought the same. Apparently, both of us exist."

"And apparently, we only meet in dreams. That being said - what are you doing here, Tanjirou?"

(_What is she doing?_)

"I can't remember. I just ended up here. Just moments ago, I was reliving…" his voice falters, a strange look overtaking his features.

"What was that?"

"I was…I had another nightmare of the morning my family died." The sorrow bled into his voice, jaw trembling.

Her eyes widen in shock.

"What? How…oh god. I'm sorry for your loss…"

Tanjirou nods, mouth set in a grim line and eyes hard. "Yes. You were right, Kagome-san. Demons really do exist. They killed my family."

The word _demon _triggers awful memories. She remembers how she was almost killed by a giant centipede demon, how Yura of the Demon Hair smirked and laughed with glee as she cut down Inuyasha. When Inuyasha's half-brother almost killed them with poisonous miasma in a cave full of bones.

Tanjirou seemed so kind. He was always respectful in his speech. Gentle. He didn't deserve to have his family killed by demons.

"My sister...Nezuko. She survived, thankfully. But–but she's been sleeping for a long time. I'm waiting for her to wake up." He clenches his fist. "And I'm training with Urokodaki-san to become a demon slayer in order to avenge my family and kill this demon before he hurts anyone else."

Silence for a moment, and then Tanjirou jolts out of his maudlin state. "Kagome-san…you do believe me, right?" he murmurs, eyes reproachful.

Her answer is quick.

"Yes, I do."_ I believe you a hundred percent. You'll think I'm the one who's off my rocker when I tell you about _my_ life._

"You're admirable, Tanjirou." _Kamado-kun. Don't just call him by his first_ _name_, her mind corrects, but her mouth disagrees for no apparent reason.

Tanjirou flushes red again. "Thank you, Kagome-san."

Kagome stares at him, pensive. _He mentioned demons. His clothes…his hardened appearance…even his manner of speech…he's not from my time, is he? God, Higurashi, you are so slow. How did you even survive school?_

"Tanjirou. Have you heard of Inuyasha? The Shikon no Tama?"

Tanjirou gives her a blank look. "Inu…yasha? No, I'm afraid not."

"What era is it right now?"

Tanjirou looks at her in a way that made her feel stupid. "It's the Taishō era."

Kagome's mind grinds to a halt. She tried to remember her History lessons. She really sucked badly at Math, but History was mostly a piece of cake for her.

_Taishō_ _era…Taishō era…that was after the Meiji era, right? A bit before World War 1…that means at least __**four hundred years**__ after Inuyasha's time, and a hundred years before mine! Even in my dreams I'm time-travelling again to another time period! Heck no! Why is it always me?_

"Why are you asking?"

"Tanjirou. You're going to call me crazy after this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't know why and how we keep meeting in our dreams, but the truth is, I'm from the future. A century after your time," Kagome quietly states. As expected, Tanjirou's eyes are disbelieving, mouth open in surprise.

"It sounds crazy, but it's true." The young man in front of her is silent, mind in deep thought.

It sounded far-fetched, even to her.

"That's…"

_Crazy talk? Not possible? Insane? _

"….incredible_."_

Oh.

"Really? You don't think I've been hit in the head?"

"No. I'm not going to call you crazy. I believe you," he says. "You're not a liar, I can tell."

"That's a relief. To be honest, this isn't the first time I've time-travelled."

"Wow," Tanjirou breathes out, utterly flummoxed.

Kagome laughs weakly. "Life is so strange, isn't it?" She suddenly plops down on the ground. Tanjiro follows her, a look of awe and fascination in his eyes.

She doesn't even know. She's just as curious and nervous and mesmerized as him.

"How's the future like? Is it entirely different there?"

_'Different' is an understatement. _

"Hm. Let's see. There's a lot of technological advancements. Cellphones. Computers. Oh, and instead of carts and horses, there's plenty of new transportation and vehicles. Trains, cars, you name it. There's even something that can help you fly up in the clouds. And toilets. Toilets have definitely improved. Honestly, that's only what I can name off the top of my head. There's a bajillion more changes in my time. The future's noisy, and loud, and sometimes people rarely have time to themselves."

The poor boy looks even more confused.

"…Trains?"

"They're vehicles that travel on railways and have wheels. You'll see it all soon enough. I won't spoil anymore, though."

He smiles.

"Ah, I see. That's amazing, Kagome-san. Is what you're wearing a standard clothing of your time as well?"

Kagome glances down at her clothes and blushes when she sees her baby blue pajamas. _Excuse me for wearing my PJs to bed like a normal person. _"…no. You're teasing me. Cheeky, aren't you?"

Tanjirou chuckles. "I'm hardly 'teasing' you. It's a serious question."

She can't help but share his smile.

He's quiet for a moment, and then he clears his throat. Pink dusted his cheeks.

"It doesn't matter. You look…um. Really pretty."

The affection lingering behind his words catches her off-guard. She swallows.

"A-Anyway, just call me 'Kagome'. Adding '–san' makes me feel like an old lady."

Tanjirou nods, a small smile on his face. His eyes stared at her so warmly it made her heart pound.

Kagome looks down at her sweaty hands. Her eyes flit towards his. They were rough-looking, calluses all over and small nicks here and there.

Her heart swelled.

She's a little embarrassed to say it, but eventually she does.

"Tanjirou…I never thanked you for comforting me back then. You shone so brightly in that creepy forest. You were brave. I liked that."

Gathering up her courage, she sneaks a glance at him. He's staring at her now, eyes gleaming and lips parted.

Kagome instinctively bows her head, flustered beyond belief.

"Kagome...I..."

He doesn't finish his sentence.

Kagome turns her head to him and is shocked to find him gone.

"Tanjirou?"

_Where-?_

Suddenly she feels a shaking sensation on her shoulder and when she glances at it, sees the impatient face of her brother staring right back at her.

.

.

.

"Souta?"

_What the-_

She's suddenly in her room. In her house.

Her chest ached.

_Tanjirou…was all of that just a dream?_

Her brother's voice washes over her like a cold blanket. "C'mon Sis, you have to get up. Inuyasha's outside the house. I told him to wait there so he won't barge in your door while you're napping in la-la land. I'm doing it more for his sake, though. No offense."

Kagome tries to shake the bleariness out of her system. "Souta. Why is Inuyasha trying to find me?"

"Heck if I know! He needs you to find another Jewel shard or something. Hey, Sis, can I go with you? I want to go on your adventures with Inuyasha! Fighting monsters is so cool."

Kagome shakes her head. "Trust me, you don't. If you pee in your pants or-heaven forbid-get seriously injured in some way, I don't want to get yelled at by Mom and Gramps." _I don't want you to get hurt._

"_But_ Sis-"

"Remember when a demon chased us out of the house and all around town, and we ended up in that scary construction site? We almost fell off the top of the building if it wasn't for Inuyasha killing that stupid demon. Do you want another round of that?"

"So what? What's adventure without a little danger?"

"Souta."

"Augh, fine. Geez, you're so boring…"

"Whatever. Tell Inuyasha to wait downstairs and-"

Suddenly, there's a crash. She sees her broken window and stares at a familiar scowling face.

Speak of the devil - a literal demon.

"Feh! I'm not some dog you can just order around to wait for your slow butt. Get over yourself!"

Kagome's left eyebrow twitches and her temper slowly flares at the sight of her broken windowsill and the shards of glass scattered around her carpeted floor. "_Inuyasha_..." she says sweetly. "Sit boy."

Inuyasha's body slammed down so hard and sudden, he created a slight crack on the flooring. "_Ow_! Kagome!"

Souta sighs.

* * *

.

They don't see each other after that.

Several months pass.

.

* * *

_._

_Trains, _Tanjirou thinks as he stares at the intimidating, large metal contraption in front of him, hand tightly gripping Nezuko's.

It sped past him. The people around him continued walking by, as if something so foreign and strange was nothing.

Tanjirou feels separate from them.

He'd been born as a coal-burner's son since he came screaming out from the womb and had submerged himself into the craft as soon as he was strong enough to do so. The mountain was in his veins.

Asakusa was another monster altogether.

He wasn't used to the bright lights and the presence of so many people, all in one place at once. Everything was so advanced and busy. No one minded each other's business. It was so different from the small town near home that he'd frequently visited.

It's dizzying, this dissonance he feels as he stands at the center of the crowd.

_The future's noisy, and loud, and sometimes people rarely have time to themselves_, Kagome had said to him.

_Kagome…_

He didn't expect to feel the wave of sadness that struck him. It had been a long time since he'd last seen her. Every time he dreamt, he expected to see her face again. Instead, all he got were familiar nightmares.

He misses her.

Nezuko grunts, and Tanjirou is suddenly brought back to the present.

No. Now was not the time for that.

He had a demon to exterminate.

"C'mon, Nezuko," Tanjirou says, holding her hand tighter. "Let's go somewhere where we can rest."

.

* * *

.

They rest at an udon stall, a comfortable distance away from the suffocation and bright lights.

Moments later, he smells the nauseating scent of the hell that destroyed his family. They return to the city, and Tanjirou finds him hiding within the crowd of people, acting like **he** was one of them.

_Kibutsuji Muzan._

He forgets everything as the mind-numbing rage consumes him.

The rest is a blur.

.

* * *

.

This is what happens:

The girl from another time goes on many more adventures with her demon companion. She finds out that she's the reincarnation of a long-dead priestess who was once her companion's almost-lover. She meets a fox child, a monk with less-than-virtuous intentions, and a woman who made her yearn for something when she proudly exclaimed that she was a _demon slayer; I hail from the village of the demon slayers, I am Sango. _

She learns to notch an arrow and strike before she takes a breath, steadies her hands and her arms and her feet, steadies her gaze and learns to breathe from her gut, learns to scream, _hit the mark__! _

Her aim hits high and true.

...

The young man, on the other hand, becomes a powerful warrior by his own right. He gets beaten, broken, dented and smashed into tiny bits, but he gets up. Every. Single. Time. He polishes and reforms and reforges himself, like a katana. Swordsmanship is about precision and skill and ferocity under grace - an art, Urokodaki-san helps him understand, breaks his bones and skin and molds him again from the ground up.

Get up.

He learns the art of demon slaying.

_Get up. _

He learns.

Just like the girl, he meets friends.

One who is a coward but Tanjirou can smell a hidden fortitude and kindness in him. The other one is more beast than man, but, like the former, Tanjirou believes there is an unfound loyalty and strength in there. He doesn't know yet, but the depth of the bonds he creates with them is something unrivaled for years to come.

The thing is, they don't forget about each other.

It was just a fleeting moment of infatuation, but it could've been something more.

Something special.

.

* * *

.

"It hurts so _bad_," Zenitsu whines, cradling his dislocated shoulder. "I'm _dying_."

"I'm hungry," Inosuke helpfully says.

"You've survived worse than that. I'm sure a good night's rest will make you feel better. Tomorrow we can have the physician examine it again," says Tanjirou, the ever-optimist. He himself had a broken arm during the successful joint mission, but it was nothing to be worried about. Especially as they were now confined in the safe sanctuary of a Wisteria house.

Nezuko was already fast asleep.

Zenitsu moans and lies down on his futon. "I'm _dying_ and you guys don't even care. I'm going to die unmarried and unloved."

Inosuke barks out a laugh that sounds close to animalistic, startling Zenitsu who instantly jumps out of his futon in the blink of an eye.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What're you laughing at? Y-You dumbass pig head!"

Inosuke suddenly stops laughing and wheezes. Oh, right. He had two broken ribs. It was a wonder he could laugh as hard as that without feeling immediate pain. But then again, it was Inosuke.

"Serves you right, jerk. Argh! I want to _at least_ experience the sweet kiss of a maiden before I die! I wouldn't expect you guys to understand my plight; it's not like you even know the joy of being kissed!"

"Ha! I can be kissed whenever I want to. That's nothing to me."

Zenitsu huffs, exasperated. He gives an offended glare at Inosuke.

"Idiot. Do you even _know_ what kissing means?"

Tanjirou knows. He's done it a lot back then, when he would kiss his mother as a little boy, the times when he'd fondly smooch his siblings on the forehead and cheeks. It's a form of affection, a sign to show someone that they were being cherished.

However, what Zenitsu means is the kind that lovers do. Tanjirou had seen couples do it a few times on the sidewalk during the times he would sell coal in town. Usually he'd just look away as he shouldn't be allowed to see that level of contact between two people, and most times he'd end up feeling unusually flustered.

Tanjirou tries, but he doesn't understand Zenitsu's fixation on finding girls to kiss and marry.

Maybe it was a reaction, just a manifestation of wanting to be loved and treasured, a strong yearning that clawed its way into Zenitsu's being and never let go. If that was the case, then he just wishes Zenitsu would do it with more self-restraint and aplomb.

Inosuke just snorts and rolls over on the opposite side of the futon facing away from them. A moment later, there's snoring to be heard.

Zenitsu mumbles something under his breath, and then it's silent.

"My arm hurts. My entire right side hurts. What sort of past life did I lead to deserve this pain?"

Tanjirou spoke too soon.

"I just want a girl to fall in love with me and marry me. Is that too _hard_?"

"Zenitsu. Close your eyes and sleep," Tanjirou sighs. Zenitsu was being too dramatic again. "You can't just force people to marry you. It doesn't work that way."

"As if you'd know, you prudish, straitlaced stick-in-the-mud! You don't even know the first thing about passionate, romantic love!"

He was pretty sure Zenitsu didn't know either.

"Girls won't like you when you're being like that."

"Oh, _do_ tell me more, Mr. Romantic! Since you're so much the _expert_ on love."

"I didn't say I was an expert-"

"Of course you aren't! Have you even _fallen in love_ before? I bet you don't even know what a crush feels like. So you don't get to lecture me about those kinds of things."

For some inexplicable reason, Tanjirou is stirred into silence. _Had_ he even fallen in love before? He thinks about it. No. Never. The only type of love he felt was the unconditional love and fondness one felt for family.

He had never actually considered experiencing a different kind of affection. When he thought about growing up and starting his own family, it had seemed like a distant dream, and then his mind would wander back to his actual family. It was never at the forefront of his thoughts.

"Have _you_ ever seriously fallen in love, Zenitsu?"

The figure settled adjacent to him chokes on his disbelief. "_Of course_ I have!"

Really now?

Against his better judgment, Tanjirou goads Zenitsu by asking, "Well, how does it feel, then?"

"_How does it_ – you really are deprived, aren't you? How does it feel?! It feels good! You get giddy all the time when you see that person, you feel butterflies inside your stomach, you just want to hug and kiss and treasure that person forever, that kind of thing. You feel the desire to be with them all the time."

Inosuke grumbles something that suspiciously sounds like "I'll kill you, stupid butterfly demons," in his sleep.

"Isn't that just the same with family?"

"Are you dense or just stupid? Of course it's not. Romantic love is different from familial love. Okay, answer me this: have you ever felt the desire to hold a girl's hand before? And _not_ your sister's!"

Yes. With Kagome.

Tanjirou's face feels hot.

"Your mood gets better when you see them. You love it when they smile a lot. Even the smell of them is paradise to you!"

Kagome had a peculiar scent. It was like lilies doused in water. Clean. Pure.

Wait.

Why was he thinking of _Kagome_?

Did he see her in that way?

He likes it when she smiles at him. It makes his chest tighten, but in a good way. He wants to hold her hand and feel her fingers with his. Wants to breathe into her.

Was it even possible? She moved as a ghost. Always beside him in his dreams but the next, gone. She seemed more apparition than human.

"You can't get enough of that person. You always want to be with her. Every second spent with that person is something you value deeply in your heart," Zenitsu continues, so immersed in his role as an all-knowing advisor to his poor, oblivious friend. "Now, can you imagine it now?"

Zenitsu's flare for dramatics increase when the resounding silence is the only reply he gets.

"All that means is that you're remarkably, madly, _hopelessly _in love!"

Oh.

Tanjirou swallows hard.

"Oh," he croaks. "I get it now. That makes sense."

Zenitsu silently regards him from his futon. In a split of a second, his expression shifts from mild confusion to a face of awed realization–

-and when he does, he then suddenly jabs Tanjirou on the shoulder, hard.

"Ow," Tanjirou frowns. "What'd you do that for?"

"Who is it? Kanao-chan? Aoi-chan? _Mitsuri_?"

Tanjirou stares at Zenitsu in silence.

"Oh god, don't tell me…_Shinobu_?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, shut up, Mr. Oh-I'm-Looking-So-Wistful-Right-Now. I _know_ that look. Heck, I do that sometimes. Who're you thinking of right now? A girl, right? It's gotta be a girl, now fess up and tell me who it is!"

"Zenitsu. I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't get to say that with _that_ kind of expression! We've known each other for a year, maybe even more, you can't fool me, idiot. Even Inosuke's better at hiding his expression than you, and he always wears that stupid boar mask all the time!"

A pillow is thrown at the back of Zenitsu's head with the force of a heavy spear. A bleary-eyed Inosuke rises up from his futon and _growls_ at him. "What'd you call me? I'm not stupid!"

"I WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT _THING_ YOU WEAR ON YOUR HEAD! I DIDN'T SAY _YOU_ WERE STUPID, _STUPID_!"

"I'm not stupid! Fight me and I'll prove it to you!"

"How in any way does that prove that you're not stupid?!"

Tanjiro placidly smiles. There wasn't much he could do when it got to this point. "Guys, please pipe down. We don't what the others to think that we're up to no good."

"_They can all come at me!_"

"Idiot. Try saying that again with every bone in your body crushed to pieces. Thanks, but I'll pass."

Inosuke grumbles something that probably meant he was calling Zenitsu a jerk in twenty colorful words of pig-speak, and then settles down again unto the futon with a huff.

Tanjirou's almost thankful for the distraction and is half-tempted to dive under the covers and forget everything, but Zenitsu is fast when he wants to. He stares Tanjirou dead in the eye and _hisses_.

"_You smug_ _asshole_! Fiend! Have you been holding out on me? Who's the girl that you're in love with?"

"You've got it all wrong, Zenitsu-"

"-oh shut it! I didn't think that someone like you would even be interested in girls! Now I have to meet this girl - whoever she is - who managed to steal your heart!"

"She's not…there is no girl." Tanjirou weakly denies, ignoring the pitter-pattering of his heart and the constant _liar liar liar _that echoed in his head.

"If you think you can fool me by lying then you're really underestimating me. Your face gets all ugly when you lie, idiot. You can't lie to save your life."

Tanjirou swallows hard.

He really didn't want to talk about Kagome to Zenitsu, but Zenitsu was too persistent when he was like this. Better to have this over with.

"Well…there's this girl…" Tanjirou mumbles, almost shyly, and Zenitsu instantly whoops with an "I _knew_ it!"

"It's been a long time since we've last seen each other, though. This girl - I've known her since I was little."

"OH MY GOD! A _childhood romance_? What a lucky bastard! I can't believe this…this world is too cruel. This is so unfair..."

"It's not like that, Zenitsu! Kagome and I – "

"Oh, so she's _Kagome_?"

"- anyway, Kagome and I – "

"Who's Kagome? Can we fight him?"

Zenitsu yelps. "_Inosuke_! Were you eavesdropping?"

"You woke me up!"

"Guys," Tanjirou sighs. "Let me finish, please."

Surprisingly, both Inosuke and Zenitsu turned silent and diverted their full attention towards him.

"We met" – _in a dream, _he didn't say – "a long time ago in the woods. I found her there, and it turns out she was lost, so I helped her. Somewhat. I told her that I'd let her sleep in our house. It took a bit of coercion, since Kagome thought I was a demon. She didn't want to come with me at first."

"Oooh, playing the prince charming card, huh? I didn't know you had it in you, Tanjirou, you sly dog."

"Why didn't you knock him out? That way he can't complain, and you can just tie him up and carry him."

"Ugh, that's not how it works! She's the princess, not the ogre! And Tanjirou's the prince. This is a _love_ story."

"It's not a love story, Zenitsu. Anyway, she eventually returned to her family. I think."

"You _think_? How did she return, then?"

"It's a long story…Kagome is…" Tanjirou hesitates. "…Different. Sometimes…I think she's some sort of ghost."

They stare at each other in silence.

And then Zenitsu, lip trembling, says, "You're joking, right? That's not funny! What a crappy punchline. You can't tell me you fell in love with a _ghost_!"

"No, I'm not, and I didn't fall in love with her." Tanjirou was suddenly regretting what he said and wished he had never spoken at all. "When we last met, she told me many things about her. She told me that she came from the future, a century after our present time."

Zenitsu stares at Tanjirou as though he was seeing Tanjirou for the first time and he doesn't like what he sees.

"Oh god. Tanjirou's finally lost it. All that head-butting really did a number on you, how unfortunate. Let's lay off him for a bit, Inosuke. He's still delirious from the pain earlier."

"But I want to meet this ghost person! I want to challenge him!" Inosuke says, excitement evident in his eyes, face bare without the mask that had slipped from his head while he was rolling around in his futon. "Tell us more, Monjiro!"

"Kagome's a girl. My name's Tanjirou. And I'm not lying."

"So you fell for a _crazy_ girl? _A hundred years from the future_? Ha! Obviously she was just lying, dumbass! You might be one of her many victims, for all we know."

Tanjirou is getting more and more annoyed. He scowls.

"Kagome's _not_ that kind of person. You haven't met her, so don't talk without taking that damn foot out of your mouth first."

"_Eeek_! How harsh! Why the hell do you sound so pissed? I'm just looking out for you, idiot!"

"...I see."

He should've just kept his damn mouth shut.

Zenitsu must've seen something in his face, because he turns _pale_.

"You're…you're serious."

Tanjirou wordlessly gathers up his blanket and settles on the edge of his futon, turning away from them. He felt unusually angry for some reason. "I'm going to sleep. Since you don't believe me either way, there's no use talking about it. Goodnight."

"But you haven't finished your story, Kenpachiro! Hey, don't sleep yet!"

It's when Tanjirou closes his eyes that Zenitsu speaks, voice uncharacteristically quiet and serious.

"Fine. I believe you. But just a word of advice: if you like this girl so much, don't let her get away."

How does he reply to that?

He thinks of Kagome, soft brown eyes and an even softer smile, ethereal like a dream. Listens to Nezuko's soft snoring, calming like waves on the ocean, grounding. Lulling him to sleep.

He does not have time for any selfish fancy. Saving Nezuko is his first and top priority. Separating Muzan's head from his body is second.

He shouldn't-_can't_-invest his time on stupid whims. Those are just distractions that would do him no good.

And yet.

_And yet._

"I won't."

.

* * *

.

They meet again.

This time, it's the last.

They're back at the meadow, endless grass field beneath their feet. When she turns her head she sees him sitting beside her, face a bit more mature and clean. Hair neater and clean-cut. He's wearing a gakuran-styled uniform that accentuates his built, and a checkered green-and-black haori.

He seems different, more guarded. Battle-weary and rough-edged and warm.

But he still feels like sunlight.

He gazes at her, eyes fond.

She can't remember what exactly she was doing. Was she with Inuyasha and the others? Or had she been home earlier? Did she have another argument with Inuyasha about Kikyo and experienced that stupid, irrational insecurity she always felt afterwards? Or was she doing her Math homework again, due the next day?

Her mind hurts.

"Tanjirou," she says.

"Kagome." His voice was the same.

There was that tingle, spreading from the pit of her stomach to her toes. She shivers.

"Tanjirou. You're here again."

"So are you. Kagome…I'm so glad to see you."

There was something different about him.

"Are you okay?"

He glances at the wide spread of land that stretched across the view. "I had another nightmare again. This time, Nezuko died. I couldn't do anything to save her. She was gone, for good."

Kagome's gut turns at that, even moreso when she hears the lack of agitation in his voice, only a tired sort of resigned acceptance.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's fine. It was all just a dream."

A dream. The last time she met Tanjirou, she spent the next few days reading everything she could about dream interpretations, but had given up after awhile, since it all sounded like horseshit to her. Kagome being the reincarnation of a priestess with high spiritual power could've also been a factor in some way.

What she doesn't understand is the way her mind had subconsciously accepted the boy beside her as real, tangible as a leaf that flew away from her reach so easily. It had come to her, unbidden.

She _wants _him to be real.

She glances at him from the corner of her eye. His scar was more prominent up close. He's had a tough life, hadn't he? It made her feel pity for him, and-

She doesn't register the moment her hand reaches out to lightly stroke at his scar. As her fingers slide down and try to wipe the grime off his face, feather-soft. It's too late.

He flinches. His eyes are wide, staring right into her soul.

Kagome feels her heart stutter to a stop, and immediately snatches off her hand.

What was she supposed to say _now_?

_Why_ did she even do it in the first place?

_Nice going, Higurashi! You shameless idiot!_

"S-Sorry. That was inappropriate of me."

A demure shade of red adorned his cheeks, sudden and glaring.

Kagome wants to cry out in embarrassment. She doesn't want Tanjirou to think she's the type of person who touched people's faces without their consent. _God, I seem like a total creep! _If the earth could open up and swallow her whole, she would die happy.

"No. It's…it's alright."

His voice was shaky.

Maybe the earth could swallow her whole.

"I'm so sorry! I usually don't do that, I promise. I don't know what came over me-"

Before she can even blink, his hand suddenly grips her wrist and swiftly redirects her hand once more towards the uneven patch of skin on his forehead.

He gently lets go. Kagome's mouth hung open like a fish.

"Kagome. I said it's _okay_. I don't mind. Really."

His skin was feverishly hot to the touch.

Slowly, she retracts her hand.

Their faces were so close.

She can almost see her reflection in his clear eyes as he holds her gaze.

She's too paralyzed to move towards Tanjirou, but he's leaning forward with that determined glimmer in his eyes, and any closer now, any closer now, they could _– they could_ –

Like a broken spell, Tanjirou blinks and abruptly looks away.

_Tanjirou..._

Kagome tries to fight off the disappointment in her chest.

And then she's suddenly infuriated with herself.

Why is she disappointed? They didn't know each other that well, and Kagome wasn't ready for that kind of stuff! She was only _fifteen_, for god's sake! Kissing seemed too mature for her; sometimes boys crossed her mind - but not in _that_ way!

And why on Earth would Tanjirou even try to – to _kiss_ her? Why would he even consider it in the first place? After she stroked his face like some kind of weirdo? They were just too caught up in the moment, that's all!

_Breathe. Calm down, dammit!_

Tanjirou's hands are twitching. He's still refusing to look at her. The red on his cheeks and neck were starting to match his hair.

_Say something, Kagome!_

"Tanjirou, um…"

_Real eloquent,_ _Higurashi_.

Slowly, his eyes found her face, cheeks aflamed and expression mirroring hers.

"That was unbecoming of me." His voice was a whisper. "…sorry."

Kagome could feel his shame, and she didn't like the way it made her insides twist into a knot.

When did their situations get reversed?

"Tanjirou-"

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he hurriedly interrupts, voice sounding close to panicked.

_No. Let's talk about this, whatever this is. I want to stay here with you._

"Um. Okay."

_I think I like you. __It sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth._

Kagome feels a shift in the air.

Her eyes frantically try to find him.

He's gone.

.

* * *

.

Shippo stares at her strangely when she wakes up.

She doesn't ask him why, until he slowly pads over to her and hands her a small piece of clothing.

"Don't worry," he whispers. "I won't tell the others. I won't tell Inuyasha."

"What's this?"

"You have to wipe your tears, Kagome."

.

* * *

.

It was just another one of their arguments, and it wasn't even that serious.

They were all resting down on the grass after another run-in with Naraku. It's a nice day for an afternoon picnic, if the threat of death didn't hang over their heads.

Just another one of those days when she'd asked Inuyasha how he liked the food she had painstakingly prepared, and he'd replied back with, "Shut up and let me eat," and then she said-

"Why can't you be more like Tanjirou for once?"

All four pairs of eyes stare at her.

"Kagome…" Shippo, who was just recently squabbling with Inuyasha over a piece of octopus-wiener, began to ask, "who's _Tanjirou_?"

Kagome falters. "He's…"

_He's what? Your imaginary-but-not-really friend?_

"Nothing," Kagome stammers. "Just an old friend."

"Really now?" Inuyasha sneers, ever-perceptive in the worst possible moments. "An _old friend_ from your world?"

"Yes. An old friend. What of it?"

Miroku and Sango were now looking at her with half-hidden curiosity in their eyes.

This is new. There was something different in the air.

"He's not from around here, then?" Sango asks, interest in her voice.

"No. He's a demon slayer like you, though," Kagome says before she can stop herself.

"You're kidding…and here I thought the last of the demon slayers ended with me. Let him come with you, Kagome. It would be nice to meet him."

Inuyasha, silently fuming in the background, scoffs.

"_More like Tanjirou?_ If you mean like your spineless friend Hojo, then I wouldn't bother. Bet he's a weakling anyway."

In Inuyasha-speak, this just meant that he was also interested in knowing about this person – that, and partly because he was a bit peeved with the implication in that sentence, especially with the exasperated tone she used. Maybe – although he would rather die than admit this – he was also a little jealous.

However, Kagome, despite being the only one in the entire group to completely understand what he truly meant when he spoke like this, felt her blood pressure spike.

She sees red.

She immediately stands up and towers over Inuyasha, fists clenched and face hot.

Inuyasha actually backs away.

"Tanjirou's _not_ weak! He's far from it. He's kind, and brave, and he's _strong_, he's a hard worker! Unlike you, he's not rude! Not everyone's like you, always looking for a _fight_! He's better than anyone I've met, and he's…he's…_ugh_, forget it, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouts.

Inuyasha - everyone – was speechless.

And then Inuyasha, utterly perplexed, says, "What? He's your boyfriend? Is that it?"

_Forget it!_

Kagome doesn't know what to do, what to say, so she walks away.

They stare after her in silence, even Inuyasha. One thought ran in their minds:

_Who was this guy to elicit such a rant from Kagome?_

_._

* * *

.

The thing about Kagome, the thing that people can't see past through, is that she is more reckless than brave.

More reckless than Inuyasha, in fact.

She falls into a well of her own volition just because she can. She willingly leaves the safe sanctuary of her home to fight long-dead demons. She walks through _acid_ for Inuyasha. She jumps in front of an arrow headed for Inuyasha's heart because _she has to, dammit, how can I live a life without you?_

She doesn't look before she leaps. She falls hard for Inuyasha, even knowing that the guilt he feels for the once-dead Kikyo will never be gone, even knowing that her presence will never be enough. She falls for him first, of course, because Inuyasha would have never tolerated her presence if she didn't work herself to the bone to gain his trust and eventually, his affection.

Still, she is Inuyasha's friend first, his romantic partner second.

This is why she stays.

Once, she might've fallen for another.

If love makes fools, then Kagome is the biggest fool of them all.

.

.

.

* * *

_a/n:_

_wrote this with original japanese!kagome in mind, not the english one. she's the epitome of plucky badass in the original version. doesn't know what the hell's going on, but tries anyway because that's just who she is. __apologies for lack of proper grammar and clunky pacing when i first wrote this, i have a horrible habit of posting right away when i'm on the brink of sleep. (how in the living HELL did i let this stew unedited for an entire year? forgive me) admittedly i'm at a loss on how to properly format this story so the flow of scenes is odd at some points ;-; but here have this self-indulgent oneshot anyways :))_

_Tanjirou and Kagome? It would be so sweet. I SHIP THEM A LOT._

_If you haven't watched Kimetsu no Yaiba yet, please do. It's an incredible anime, and the characters are stellar in their character designs. Tanjirou is amazing as an MC, so real and raw and down-to-earth, and oddly unique compared to other protagonists of similar disposition. I ship him and Kagome a lot._

_Summary is from one of the poems in It's A Lonely Love by Hunter Summerall. scream at me on twitter and tumblr! rengokuestate_

* * *

**edit (09/21/20)** : this fic is still sappy asf but :P


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